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Saturday, 15 October 2016

'tis the season for horror (punk). If there's a soundtrack to back late-night Romero movie marathons, complete with tons of "whoa's" and go!'s", it's this. Whether it be the the iconic Crimson Ghost logo, the countless covers of their songs, or their undisputed place as being one of the greatest punk bands of all time, everyone should recognize them. Of course, it's none other than The Misfits. Originally conceived by Glenn Danzig in 1977, this band has garnered quite the legacy (of brutality), both through their music and through their history. Before delving into all that, I just wanted to say Happy (early) Halloween to you guys, and I hope you enjoy this massive collection I've compiled below, both now and throughout the year.

Lodi, New Jersey. 1977. Glenn Danzig, along with bassist Jerry Only and drummer Manny Martinez, form the very first incarnation of The Misfits. They only released one single, Cough/Cool, which stands out in comparison to all their other work due to the use of an electric piano instead of guitar, which gives their debut single a very haunting, almost Doors-esque feel to it. With the addition of a guitarist after this single, they shifted their style to a more punk rock sound, in the vein of the Ramones. Their first album, Static Age, was recorded in 1978, but was never formally released until 1997 (more on that below the link). A chunk of these songs became the Bullet single, which was a great introduction to both the gritty intensity of the band, as well as their penchant for aggressive yet surprisingly catchy songwriting. Following this, the band would endure a few line-up changes (with Danzig and Only being the only two consistent members), a few more singles, and quite a bit of touring. They also begin to adopt the horror theme to both their music and image. They began wearing all black, and growing out their now-iconic devilock (just look at almost any picture of them and you'll know what it is immediately). In their lyrics, Danzig began to take influence from older horror films, which is why they're now famous for inventing "horror punk", and why they're played on repeat around Halloween.

In 1980 they recorded another album, which would once again not see the light of day. 12 Hits From Hell was nearly released in 2001, but was cancelled at the last minute. Songs from this session were included on a handful of singles, and the majority were re-recorded for their actual debut full-length. Around this time is when Jerry Only's younger brother, who's known as Doyle, joined the band as their guitarist. This line-up is probably their best known, and the one that recorded their classic full-length Walk Among Us in 1982. This album displays their transition from being a punk band to a hardcore band. The songs are faster and more aggressive, yet still retain that same incredible songwriting talent, which is what made The Misfits stand out. Just before the first era of this band came to an end, one more album was released. With Robo (formerly of Black Flag) now drumming, they released Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood in 1983. The hardcore influence has taken over their sound, with the band playing at such blisteringly heavy speeds that they became an influence on thrash metal. The band broke up shortly after it. Danzig formed Samhain, a project which was more experimental and metal oriented than The Misfits, and that would later form into his main project (known simply as Danzig) that solidified his transition into the metal genre. Only and Doyle laid low some years after The Misfits, though they did play in a Christian metal band for a while.

A few compilations came out post-humously, most notably Legacy Of Brutality and Collection I & II. These documented most of the band's recorded material, though some songs were slightly different versions of the originals due to overdubs done by Danzig. The music they put out in their initial time together is nothing short of incredible. As much as I want to rant about the sheer greatness and timelessness of the music they put out in their first era as a band, I think it speaks for itself. A lot of music has accumulated on this blog over the years, but I firmly believe that The Misfits are one of the best, and one I would be ecstatic to recommend.

Now, like I said, the band that existed between 1977 and 1983, the brainchild of Glenn Danzig, turned out to only be what you can call the "first" era of three in this band's history. After years of legal disputes between Danzig and Only, the name and logo were finally allowed to be used by Only. In 1995, he reformed The Misfits with Doyle on guitar again, and eventually was joined by drummer Dr. Chud and new vocalist Michale Graves. Besides the name and image, this new incarnation shared almost nothing with the original Misfits. They would include some of the old songs in their live sets, but immediately sought to put out their own music. This new sound was much more polished and heavy metal influenced, though nicely complimented by Graves' melodic voice. They recorded two full-lengths in the late 90's. A lot of comparisons are drawn between the "Danzig" era and the "Graves" era, though the two are really apples and oranges. They're completely different sounds, and essentially two different bands, aside from some common members and a shared band name. Just throwing in my 2 cents here, but the "Graves" era definitely had some highlight songs; the "horror" aspect just became a little too campy. It's not always a bad thing, but that's just my very, very brief opinion on this era of the band. It's still worth trying though, I mean a song like "Helena" is just too good to pass up.

As their history suggests, no line-up can last too long. Around 2000, Graves and Chud both quit the band, and Doyle followed soon after. This left Only as the sole remaining member of the band. Instead of The Misfits dissolving again, he decided to carry on, and took over vocals himself. He was joined by guitarist Dez Cadena (formerly of Black Flag) and drummer Marky Ramone (formerly of The Ramones). Their most notable release was Project 1950, which was a covers album of songs from the 1950's, and also the only album Only's vocals sounded good on. Marky was later replaced by Robo, former drummer of both Black Flag and The Misfits. Throughout the 2000's, the band mostly just toured and played songs from both the Danzig and Graves eras. Robo left in 2010, though of course this don't stop Only's Misfits. A year later, a new album under The Misfits name was released. Personally, it's "meh" at best, and hardly a Misfits album, but to each their own I suppose. Cadena eventually left too, being replaced by Only's son. Now in 2016, Danzig, Doyle, and Only finally put their numerous lawsuits and issues aside to reunite as The Misfits and play two headlining shows at Riot Fest. That's where we are now, and the future of the ever-changing Misfits is still unknown.

That should do it for a quick history lesson on The Misfits. There's so much to this band throughout the years, really looking into them is both very interesting and very enlightening on how this band has functioned. There is a lot of material here, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask, or look around the internet; they're quite well-documented. To help condense down the essentials, if you grav Static Age, Walk Among Us, Legacy Of Brutality, Collection I & Collection II, you've pretty the majority of their music with Danzig on vocals. Also check out Evilive if you want to hear to some incredible live material from them. If you're going to check out an album with Graves at the helm, it'd have to be Famous Monsters, though American Psycho is also fantastic. As for Jerry on vocals, Project 1950 is surprisingly decent, but sadly that's about it. Again, I hope you enjoy, and Happy Halloween! I want your skulls.

Note: This album was originally recorded in 1980, and was meant to be released as a full-length. This never happened, and most of the songs ended up either appearing on 3 Hits From Hell, Halloween, or were re-recorded for Walk Among Us. In 2001, this album was supposed to be released in full, but was scrapped just before distribution by Danzig and Only, so it still has no official release, besides bootlegs and a few promotional copies that still exist

Note: This album was recorded in 1978, and meant to be their first full-length. However, they couldn't find a label to put it out, so instead Danzig released some of the tracks on the Bullet single through his new label, Plan 9. As the band's line-up and sound changed, a release of these sessions never came to fruition. They were first available nearly in full on the box set released in 1996, and then Static Age was finally given a proper release in 1997, even though "only" one member in the band at the time had actually appeared on these sessions.

Friday, 14 October 2016

For the entire duration of its existence, hardcore has always been a forward-thinking genre. One would like to think that, at least. Perhaps one of the most definitive testaments to that is Philadelphia's Ink & Dagger, whose originality can truly be deemed objective. Simply put, there has been no other act like them, before or after. To start by focusing solely on the music, Ink & Dagger crafted such off-kilter rhythms that could make the listener almost feel uncomfortable, since they would go so against the natural progression that a song would usually go. Being caught off guard is an immediate guarantee that what's about to heard will be nothing short of captivating. And that it is. To describe their experimental sound is futile, since it doesn't sound like anything else. It sounds like Ink & Dagger, if that makes any sense. In addition, they had one of the most charismatic frontmen in punk rock history, Sean McCabe (who unfortunately died a year later after they broke up, at the age of 27). Him, along with guitarist Don Devore were the only two consistent members of Ink & Dagger, and definitely deserve to be credited as the masterminds behind this explosively unique project.

Of course a band's music is the priority part of their act, and as I've already stated, Ink & Dagger shot out of a different universe on that front. However, another part of what's solidified their legacy is their stage antics. They are perhaps one of few bands who can present legitimate "art pieces" on stage, and not come off as a group of pretentious pricks. For one, they would often perform in make-up. More specifically, dressed like vampires. From videos I've seen, and various stories floating around the internet, it sounds like Ink & Dagger had one of the most insane live shows ever, incorporating fake blood, strobe lights, coffins, and of course the classic vampire get-ups. McCabe also seems to have been notorious for being a bit of a shit disturber (i.e. throwing yogurt at an Earth Crisis show), for lack of a better way to put it. If his goal was to upset people's comfort zones and their own natural order, then that he did extremely well. As a personal (read: pretentious) note, that's what punk/hardcore has always been about. Not necessarily politicizing everything and taking a stance, but upsetting the natural order of things and making others question themselves and be taken out of their own safe-havens, regardless of where they stood morally, politically, you name it. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's something that's always really attracted me to the mystique of Ink & Dagger.

On a final note, since I just realized I forgot to mention this earlier, Ink & Dagger were initially around from 1995 to 1999. They put out two full-lengths and a handful of 7"'s, all of which are included below. In 2010 and 2011, the band reunited, with Geoff Rickly on vocals. They headlined This Is Hardcore and toured the UK. Not sure what else to say here, besides Ink & Dagger are an essential band for anyone looking to really hear something different, and to return to my very first sentiment, forward-thinking. Enjoy.

Edit: And yes, Eric Wareheim (of Tim & Eric fame) did play bass for them at one point

A Stubborn Reminder...

Please remember, not everything on here is supposed to be free. Enjoy to your heart's content, but if you can, please try and support these bands by purchasing records, going to shows, buying merch, anything if at all possible. Most of them could really use (and deserve) it.